Thank you for your question about your Daphne odora.

Daphne requires excellent drainage. The images you attached clearly display a dying, almost dead, plant. Both the leaves and the stems are shriveled.

Daphne requires excellent drainage. And even though they appear to do well for many years, an unrecognized accumulation of root damage leads to an untimely, and unexpected, death. Most often, the cause is root rot. If that’s true for your shrub, you’ll find that the roots are dark-colored and shortened when you dig it out.

Unfortunately, no effective treatment is available for a plant with root rot. If you want to plant a replacement in the same spot, don’t choose a daphne. If you want another daphne, consider growing it in a container.